Horcrux
by Violet Tan
Summary: Everyone knows that Harry was Voldemort's Horcrux. But what if that piece of soul woke up in Harry's mind and started talking to him when he was sixteen? And what if... They actually became friends?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Dreams**

 **Disclaimers:** I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.

 **Warning:** A slightly different Harry who is a little dark. Boy/Boy pairing but nothing more than kissing. Character death. Not a live-happily-ever-after story.

* * *

-O.o.O-

Harry James Potter opened his emerald eyes to find that he was sweating all over. Cursing under his breath, he sat up and looked for his glasses blindly in the darkness. Suddenly, he heard a sound of shattering glass after carelessly knocking over something with his hand.

"Sh-" He muttered. Rubbing his eyes, his shaky fingers finally caught his wand.

 _"Lumos."_

With a spark of white light shinning softly from the tip of the wand, he looked down to his bedside table. The pair of old black-rimmed glasses was still lying on it, but the small vial which was supposed to be standing beside the glasses was already gone. He stared down at the broken pieces and the splattered Dreamless Potion on the ground, sighing heavily.

He didn't know what had been wrong with him these days. His dreams kept stirring in his mind, pulsing and creaking over and over again, telling him about the endless happiness in a rather sexy voice. Every day he tried very hard to forget about them, but every night he still let himself sink deeply into the dreams. He had been confused to see his unfamiliar counterpart growing up with a dark-haired boy; he had been stunned to see himself falling in love with that teen; and he had watched them hugging each other, blushed and excited.

The cello-like voice echoed near his ears, calling from inside of his body, "Harry... Harry..."

In the dreams, they had talked and laughed together as if they had known each other for many years. They had sat side by side on the seaside, watching the beautiful sunset. They had held hands beneath the stars, looking at each other like they were a couple. He had absolutely no idea about how this was happening.

The dreams felt so real. He could even see that boy's dark eyes reflecting his own image, could even smell the scent of salty sea water when they were sitting on the beach, could even touch the soft golden sand at their feet. He did not want to admit it, but...

He was so fascinated by the dreams.

Falling in love with a boy was bad, and falling in love with a boy in a dream was even worse. However, the worst part of everything was that the boy who had been together with him all the time in the dreams was not a stranger.

No, not a stranger at all. Harry could even call him an "old friend", perfect.

Tom Marvolo Riddle, a.k.a. Lord Voldemort.

'Oh great, wasn't that the best thing ever?' Harry thought sarcastically before throwing himself into the bed with a groan and trying to get some more sleep before the dawn.

-O.o.O-

Voldemort paced restlessly around the room. A rush of flowing emotion had just come through the connection between the Potter brat and himself. He wondered what exactly had happened to that raven-haired kid, because actually he had never felt anything about Potter from the connection before. He had always been the one sending Images and false messages to Potter. Now this was something unexpected... Gazing at the burning fireplace in this thought, he heard a group of footsteps coming from the door.

"My Lord."

He turned to look at the blond with silver-grey eyes. The man was pale and absolutely nervous. Being summoned by the Dark Lord for no reason was mostly not a good thing and he knew that well.

"Lucius," Voldemort hissed quietly, blood-red eyes glowing in the dim light, "I have a special task for you..."

-O.o.O-

It wasn't until ten o'clock that Harry finally woke up again. Luckily it was Saturday, or he would be in serious trouble for not showing up in his classes on time. Ron was already gone, perhaps out dating someone near the lake. Grabbing his glasses and shirt, he yawned drowsily and tried hard to think clearly. The dormitory was unsurprisingly empty, much to his relief. He began to take off his blue-stripped pajama as quickly as possible and then...

 _\- Have anyone told you that your body looks kind of sexy? -_

Harry froze when he heard the whisper, his hands stopped in the air. _\- Wh-what? -_ He answered unconsciously, not noticing that he actually didn't ask the question out loud, then immediately looked around. The dormitory was still deserted as before, which meant that voice just came from nowhere...

 _\- Who the hell are you? -_ Annoyed, he asked impatiently, but the tone gave his anxieties away.

 _\- Why not have a guess, Harry Potter? -_ The voice came and he finally realized that whoever that person was, they were communicating in his own mind, through some sort of connection. There was only one possible explanation since he had heard that voice a thousand times in his dreams. The voice was charming and attracting. However, considering the speaker was probably his archenemy, he really didn't want to hear it at this moment.

Harry swallowed before clenching his fists. _\- Voldemort.-_ Hatred flooded into his chest and he felt like he was on fire, burning with anger and the desire to revenge.

And then there was silence. He almost thought that the other had already left until the voice appeared again after a while with a soft chuckle, _\- Close enough, but nope. Sorry to disappoint you. -_

 _\- What do you mean? Come on, stop playing innocent. We both know who you really are. The only question left is what do you want from me, -_ He snorted, sitting down on his bed again, _\- or did you really expect me to believe your stupid little lie? I didn't know the Dark Lord was such an optimist. -_

 _\- Look, I swear, I know there is a person called Voldemort because I heard that name many times from you, but I have absolutely nothing to do with him. Not from what I can still recall in my memory anyway. -_

Harry's eyes widened with astonishment while his hatred and anger were slowly fading away, but he was still wary enough to make sure, _\- Wait... What is your name? -_

 _\- Tom Marvolo Riddle, I woke up and that was the only thing I could remember, at first. Then I saw everything through your eyes but could not make any contact or talk to you till today. Do you know what happened to me? -_ The reply came without any hesitation.

 _\- And why should I believe your story? How do I know if you are not Voldemort, lying to me? -_

 _\- Lying? What for? -_ Riddle said playfully, amused, _\- If I were that person you are talking about, do you seriously think I would bother spending a long time to make up some weird stories that you won't even believe and try to convince you? That really sounds like a terrible plan. -_

 _\- Merlin's beard... -_ Groaning, Harry banged his head on the desk, finally understanding what was happening.

All right, now he was having an amnesic Dark Lord in his head, like watching himself being buddies with his greatest foe in the dreams was not creepy enough. The Goddess of Destiny obviously loved him very much.

-O.o.O-

 _\- What are you, exactly? -_ Harry asked this particular question for the third time while heading to the DADA class. Thank Merlin for allowing them to have their nice little chat without being noticed by anybody else, or almost all the students and teachers would probably decide that The Chosen One had finally lost his mind.

 _\- I have answered that question twice before, Golden Boy. My name is Tom Marvolo Riddle and I was a fifth year student from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and I had been sorted into Slytherin. One day I was writing my one of my O. W. L.s exams when I passed out. And here I was, trapped in your mind, -_ The voice replied wearily, seeming to get tired of his endless questioning.

 _\- How long have you been here? I mean, when did you get into my head? Okay, this sounds kind of scary. -_

 _\- Since I arrived here while you were being sorted, and now you are sixteen... About five years, I suppose, -_ The velvet voice sounded really fascinating.

 _\- And you just lived with me for more than five entire years! You must be kidding... Don't you eat or drink anything? Oh, never mind. I forgot that you were inside of my head. That also means you don't age and you will be fifteen years old forever, Merlin knows how Jealous I am, -_ Harry mocked.

 _\- Oh, shut up, The-Boy-Who-Lived-to-be-Noisy as they call you,-_ Riddle mocked back. Harry was sure that he was laughing silently, or rolling his eyes.

 _\- So why couldn't you talk to me before? -_ He couldn't help but asked.

 _\- How should I know? This is your mind after all. Did anything happen before you heard me for the first time? -_

 _\- Oh, the dreams! Were they your doings? -_ Harry asked suspiciously. He still couldn't believe Riddle, Voldemort was his enemy after all and he was not that gullible.

 _\- What dreams? I don't really know what you are talking about. -_

Harry snorted with disbelief, _\- Give me one reason not to tell Dumbledore about your existence right now. -_

 _\- Well, I actually have two. First of all, you really want to give others another reason to think that you are insane? Dumbledore will trust you, for sure. But what will he do to me? More importantly, to you? If he found out I'm inside of your head all along, will he still trust you? Last year he let Snape teach you when he knew about your mental connection with Voldemort, which turned out to be a terrible decision and didn't help anyway. How do you know what he will do this time? -_

 _\- Fair enough, I got to admit that you have a point. -_ Harry muttered, _\- and what's the second reason? -_

 _\- Secondly... Your greasy-haired teacher is staring at you for not paying the slightest attention to his class and I think he is really mad at you right now, so it won't be a very good idea to leave and talk to Dumbledore at this moment, will it? -_

Harry looked up quickly to see The One-time Potions Professor's furious glare in time. Also, his two closest friends were both looking at him in concern. "Potter, answer my question NOW!" Severus Snape snarled, there were sparks of wrath in his obsidian-like eyes.

"Er... Sorry sir, I beg your pardon?" He asked warily, and was not surprised to see the man's eyes narrowing to slits at him.

"Detention after school, Mr. Potter. Ten points from Gryffindor for not listening to the teacher carefully. Come to my office at six o'clock and no excuses, understood?"

"Yes... Sir." Merlin, Harry rolled his eyes. Sometimes he really wanted to punch the big bat right in the face. But since this time he had it coming and it was apparently no one else's fault, he had to accept the consequences.

It seemed that his bad luck was never going to end.

-O.o.O-

- _I don't like him, -_ Riddle said inattentively.

 _\- Who? You mean Snape? Oh, great. Because neither do I, -_ Striding to his room, Harry whispered in his mind.

 _\- Why do you even allow them to call you The-Boy-Who-Lived or The Chosen One? Those nicknames sound silly. -_

 _\- Yeah, I'm with you, -_ Harry agreed. _\- But somehow my opinion doesn't matter very much these days. Don't you dare call me by those names again! I prefer Potter. Or Harry, if you want, -_ He added.

 _\- Call me with my first name, then. I don't like it though, -_ Riddle decided after a moment.

 _\- Why don't you like your own name? I like Tom, it's simple and it sounds good. -_

 _\- You won't say that when you know how many Toms there are in this country, -_ Riddle said, a little disgusted. _\- This causes problems, obviously. But if you insist then that's fine, it's not like anyone else is here to listen to our conversation. -_

 _\- All right, Tom. You said that you see everything through me... -_

 _\- That's right. I see what you see, I hear what you hear, I feel what you feel. I always do. -_

 _\- Then how about telling me your stories?-_

 _-Why should I? I am a Slytherin after all and a Slytherin has secrets. -_

 _\- Come on, everyone has secrets. Now you saw mine and that's not fair for me. -_

Then there was silence. Harry didn't have a clue about why he was talking to Tom Riddle, the boy who would have become a heartless monster and the boy who would have killed his parents in cold blood along with hundreds of innocents if he had not been trapped in Harry's mind. Nor did he know why he wanted to learn more about the other's life and experiences. Perhaps those weird dreams had changed his mind a bit, or perhaps he could feel that they were extremely similar in some way.

After a while, Riddle finally started speaking again, _\- I was born in an orphanage. My mother was a witch, a descendant of Salazar Slytherin. My father was... a muggle who abandoned my mother after she had got pregnant. And my mother died giving birth to me. I had never seen my father in my life, and I never stopped looking for him until I found out his identity and decided that I didn't care. As a result I grew up in the bloody orphanage where everyone called me a monster or a freak. I did hurt them sometimes, but that was always after they had done the same to me. -_ He said quickly and unwillingly, obviously not wanting to share the story of his past.

 _\- But you certainly knew that you were not a monster, so why not just ignore them? -_ Harry asked. He was listening to the story very carefully.

 _\- Of course I would learn that after getting into Hogwarts, but it was different at that time. I was so afraid, so scared, and so terrified that I agreed with them. -_ Riddle said quietly.

 _\- What do you mean? -_

 _\- They told me that I was a monster, so I believed them and became a monster; they told me that I was a worthless freak, so I thought about myself as a worthless freak; they said that I was cold and cruel, so I chose to become cold and cruel. After I had been sorted into Slytherin it was still the same. They told us that we were mean and cunning, so we had to become mean and cunning. People become what they are in other people's eyes. They become what they are told they are, and think that's exactly what they should be, as simple as that. -_

Harry didn't say anything, because he had had the same feeling before, too. When he had been living with the Dursleys, he had thought, though he had never told anyone, that he was a freak and was meant to be treated that way. That was why he felt so startled and shocked when he knew about his true identity.

 _\- You know what, Tom, I think we are more similar than what I thought. So why don't we try to get along with each other since you can do nothing except for talking to me? - He said to Riddle in his mind._

 _\- Aren't we getting alone quite well with each other? - Riddle questioned after a pause._

 _Harry smirked, pushing the door to his room open._

 _\- Yes, indeed. -_

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hi everyone! This is my first fan fiction written in my life. I have posted the same story in Hogwarts Extreme but it's still me so I guess I can post it again here. My first language is not English and I'm still in high school so please, please don't judge if my word choices or tenses are terrible. Suggestions are welcomed though and hope you like the first chapter! Just so you know, in this story Harry was beginning his sixth year at Hogwarts and hadn't had his private classes with Dumbledore, yet. Thank you for reading my story!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Past**

* * *

-O.o.O-

"Harry!" Hermione started again quickly when they were having a break between two classes, "Listen to me! We don't know what's wrong with you today, nor do we know how to help, but you can not keep doing this. You weren't just wondering off for a little while in Professor Snape's class - you didn't listen to anything at all. Ron and I are worried about you, today Snape could take away points from Gryfindor and hold you for detention, but if you keep acting like that you might not be so lucky next time. Look, I know you don't care about what Snape wants, but you're getting yourself into trouble. if you can't focus in his class, at least try to pretend that you're actually listening- "

"Yeah, fine, whatever. For Merlin's sake, Hermione, please give me a break!" Harry rubbed his temple and found himself having a headache from his talkative friend's super long suggestion. "It was only the first class, come on. I got up late this morning and I was sleepy so I dosed off in Snape's class and didn't really listen to his boring lecture, that was all. It's no big deal, and this won't happen again. "

The brunette glared at him for interrupting her, a little offended, "This is important, Harry. You can't just let it go so quickly."

"She is right, mate." Ron joined in the conversation, "You know, last year everyone believed that you were a liar. Although everything you said turned out to be the truth in the end, people - even students in our own house - are becoming suspicious about things you say. Now you lost points in the first class this year and I don't think they'll be very happy about that."

"Okay, I'm sorry Hermione. I'm really, really sorry. There won't be a next time. As for the lost points, I will try to get some back in other classes. " Harry gave up and answered in a defeated voice.

"You'd better keep your promise, " Hermione nodded in satisfaction, "I'm also sorry for bothering you, but we are just concerned and we care about you."

"Yes, I know." Harry gave them a faint smile tiredly, going through the door to the Potions class. Professor Slughorn grinned at them and greeted them happily. The dungeon was filled with white vapour, bubbling cauldrons and talking students. They walked past some rows of desks and sat down at a table with a cauldron containing golden liquid on it.

Harry breathed in the attracting perfume spreading out from the cauldron and smiled. He had never smelled something so sweet and beautiful before. It was a flavour mixed with honey, broom sticks and flowers. A great sense of satisfaction hit him and he gasped with joy. He smiled at Ron, who lazily smirked back.

 _\- Ah, Amortentia it is, which explains your over-flowing happiness, -_ Riddle's voice suddenly appeared in his mind, making him spring to his feet in shock. He looked around and made sure that no one was bored enough to pay him any attention, and Slughorn had not started his class yet.

 _\- Amortentia? -_ He asked, curious about the potion's effects besides making people feel nice.

 _\- The most efficient love potion in the world - which doesn't really work. It can not make people fall in love with each other because nothing can really create what people call 'true love'. The only result from drinking it is hallucination. It has a special vapour shape and colour, smells differently to each person and makes you think it has your favourite odour. I memorized these things when I was in grade four and this is one of my least favourite potions, -_ Riddle explained.

 _\- Sounds cool, but I have no intention of using it since it doesn't help. What about the potions in the other cauldrons? -_

 _\- That one which looks like water is Veritaserum, ordourless and colourless, mainly used to force the drinker to speak truthfully. Actually it tastes slightly different from water and you can tell them apart when you are experienced enough... But nobody wants to be experienced in this case. That mud-like, bubbling potion is Polyjuice potion which you succeed in brewing when you were in grade two so I believe that you can recognize it easily. Harry, don't you want to earn some points for your house? Here comes your chance. -_

"Now, now, everyone. Please take out your textbook and other required equipment for the class. " Slughorn's body was barely visible in the silver-white vapour.

"Sir? Sorry, Ron and I don't have textbooks and any other stuff for this class. We thought we wouldn't be able to take the Potions class so..." Harry raised his hand.

"Oh, yes. Minerva mentioned this... Don't worry boys, no need to worry at all. You can use the ingredients from the storage first and pick two of the old textbooks lying there."

Slughorn walked slowly to the corner, pulled out two books and handed them to Harry and Ron.

"Alright. Today I prepared several potions for you and of course, it's only for your learning. After finishing the course this year, you should all be able to brew them perfectly. Now, who can tell me what this i-"

Before he finished the question, Harry put up his hand quickly with a smile of victory on his face.

-O.o.O-

 _\- I have to admit, whoever wrote notes on this book is a pure genius, his understanding of potions is astonishing, -_ Riddle said when he was looking through that old textbook in his dorm.

 _\- Tom, who do you think this Half-Blood Prince is? This textbook was published at least fifty years ago, does that mean he is more than sixty-six years old? -_

 _\- I don't think so. Buying used textbooks is common for students from not-so-rich families. What's important is this kind of handwriting... I think I have seen it somewhere, it looks really familiar. -_

 _\- I will pay more attention to it. Maybe that's some professor's writing on the board... Wait, a Potions Master, can that be Slughorn? No, his handwriting is totally different, but... -_ Harry paled immediately after realizing a fact, _\- Oh no, the Half-Blood Prince can't be Snape! Merlin, now that I remember it, Snape's handwriting is exactly like this. The book also has some original dark magic spells on it... Snape is always interested in dark magic! The way he was talking about it in DADA class... Now all the pieces are put together. Oh, Merlin, no way... -_

 _\- Yeah, I know that feeling. Right after having a detention with the meanest teacher whom you hate the most in the school, you learnt that he was actually the intelligent Prince whose notes kindly helped you out in the Potions class. However, don't forget your appointment with Old Bumble Bee tonight - have you already forgotten it? It's almost five to eight now and you'd better hurry,-_ Riddle reminded him.

 _\- i'm on my way! -_ Harry sprang to his feet and put the textbook which belonged to Snape in his bag, deciding to return the book to Snape when he had the chance. After all, keeping another person's possession with his original ideas and notes on it was actually rude. Although Harry liked the extra tips in Potions class, he knew it was cheating to use Snape's book and decided to be polite and honest. Moreover, he had Riddle to help him out when he had any problems anyway. He walked quickly down the empty corridors and headed straight to Dumbledore's office, hoping to get there in time.

-O.o.O-

 _\- Why don't you hate me? -_

 _\- What? -_ Harry didn't understand right away, _\- Why should I? -_

 _\- Although I have no impression on any memory pieces Dumbledore showed you - except for the ones about the orphanage, but you knew that I would have become Voldemort since you were in Grade two. So why can you even talk to me without screaming, cursing or any kind of hatred and anger in your mind? -_ Riddle asked hesitantly.

 _\- You are not Voldemort, Tom. And you never will be. -_

This Tom Riddle had not opened the Chamber of Secrets and caused the death of an innocent girl, had not used his uncle or killed his muggle family, had not become the Dark Lord and brought the darkness and fear to the magical world.

This boy who was talking to him was not guilty. He was not responsible for any misery his counterpart had created in Harry's life. And after being together for more than five years, Tom Riddle had become a part of him. Only when he talked to Tom could he feel that he was whole again.

The dark past Dumbledore showed him didn't really serve its purpose. Harry knew he was supposed to find out Voldemort's weakness, accept that Voldemort was born evil and fight him without any hesitation. But after being friends with Riddle, how could he now judge Voldemort's past with angry eyes and blind hatred? He couldn't help but tried to look at these facts from a different angle, and he succeeded. The infamous Dark Lord had never felt even a little bit of love from his family. His mother had been too weak and desperate to live for him, and his father had been a jerk just like Uncle Vernon. That dark-haired boy who had always been seen as cruel and cold could also be seen as a scared child, and Dumbledore had not done anything to comfort him except for threatening him to be good and kind.

He saw the bloody and dark path Tom Riddle had been walking on, but he also saw the emptiness, fear and despair. And he was sorry for that boy who had never found out what love was.

Tom Riddle had always been alone. He knew how it felt to be different and isolated because he had experienced exactly the same thing before meeting Ron and Hermione. After Sirius's death, this feeling came back again.

But now he was not alone anymore, and neither was Riddle. They had each other and they could always understand.

-O.o.O-

Ron and Hermione started dating after noticing his unusual quietness these days and decided that they should just leave Harry alone for a while to sort things out. They knew he was still upset about Sirius and since neither of them could talk to Harry, they became very close instead. They stick together every day and only needed time to really get together. Harry was happy for his best friends, he always wondered if the only difference between young Riddle and himself was that someone actually gave him a hand when he needed friendship but Riddle never got the chance.

Dumbledore might suspect what he was doing on his own, but a headmaster who was always absent could not do anything to him anyway. Harry tried to imagine what would have happened if he had told Dumbledore about his friendly relationship with Tom Riddle, and decided that he would never let the headmaster know about this, ever. No matter for Riddle or for himself, it was the only solution. Harry kept his secret well. He didn't know how Riddle got in his mind in the first place, but he never asked anyone else.

-O.o.O-

 _\- Do you want to see me, Harry? -_ At one night, Riddle asked him suddenly.

 _\- Yes, of course I do. -_ Why not? Harry was well aware that if Riddle meant him harm and had the ability to hurt him, he would be dead long ago. So meeting his 'imaginary friend' couldn't possibly hurt. Moreover, he was extremely curious about Riddle now, _\- But I thought you were just a piece of memory or something. Oh, I see, you have the ability to let others get into your world, just like the Diary. -_

 _\- Correct. I'm not even sure if this will work or not, because I tried it before and failed each time. Now close your eyes... -_

Closing his eyes, Harry struggled in a vortex of colours before finding himself standing in a room where he had been to before. It was Slytherin Common Room. Silver and green curtains and armchairs were elegant and beautiful as usual. The fireplace was burning brightly and dark shadows of giant fish were moving on the window.

Gasping, he looked around and stared at the figure sitting on a sofa.

Fifteen-year-old Tom Riddle was in his black school uniform, he looked very handsome with his silver-and-green-stripped tie. His appearance was almost the same as Harry remembered, tall and thin with pale skin and dark curly hair, eyes black like midnight. What had changed was his expression. There was warmness in Riddle's eyes and Harry had never seen that before in the Diary. Sitting on the sofa casually, Riddle turned to Harry and smiled.

Harry walked towards him. Strange, he didn't feel afraid when facing Riddle - maybe a little wary, but not afraid. Taking a deep breath, he sat down beside Riddle.

 _\- Here you are, -_ Riddle said, _\- I have been trapped here for so long, sensing everything through your senses without communicating with you... Time has been an old man. I even thought that I would surely become insane if I didn't find a way to talk to you. _Do you know the feeling of being completely alone_ _? You could scream and scream but nobody would hear you; you could call for help but nobody would even notice; you could cry or laugh or be desperate but nobody would even care._ It wasn't until finding you that I realized how terrible loneliness was. __-_

 _\- Could I touch you, Tom? -_ Harry asked, reaching out his hand and wondering if the teen in front of him was just a hallucination.

 _\- No, Harry, No matter how real I might look, I'm still a piece of memory... Or am I? I don't even know what I am. Isn't that kind of pathetic? -_ Riddle said softly.

 _\- I want you to stay with me, -_ After a moment of silence, Harry whispered. _\- I know the feeling of being alone, and I want you to stay with me, like what you have done for more than five years. You have always been here with me, and I can feel it now. I don't know what I'd be without you, but then I won't be the same person anymore. -_

 _\- I will stay with you, Harry. -_ The dark-haired boy answered softly, _\- I will stay with you forever as long as you believe in me. This is a promise. -_

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **Yeah, I know I'm terrible at writing. I haven't really read the first six Harry Potter books in English so please pardon me if I made any mistakes about Potions, magic or anything. Now Tom and Harry are having the weirdest relationship ever. Hope you enjoyed reading my story. Please review and tell me what do you think** **!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Change**

 **Warning:** A little bit! dark Harry.

* * *

-O.o.O-

 _\- I have been thinking. -_ Harry said to Riddle in his mind, musing.

 _\- Oh really? Since when has the Golden Boy learnt to think? -_ Riddle mocked him with a smirk.

After that meeting, they enjoyed seeing each other in Slytherin Common Room every night. Harry would tell Riddle his feelings about things had happened that day and Riddle would listen carefully and give him some advice. Riddle knew Harry so well that he was very good at making Harry feel better. But sometimes they also had fun being sarcastic to each other.

 _\- Don't call me the Golden Boy, Tom! I've been thinking about Slughorn's memory... Horcruxes... Since the Diary was a Horcrux and you are really similar to that Riddle... Not your personality, just your ability, appearance and everything. Then can you be a horcrux? Maybe you're not just a piece of memory like I thought the Diary was after all. Maybe you're Voldemort's horcrux - which means I am Voldemort's Horcrux... Okay, this sounds ridiculous, forget about it. It's just a hypothesis... -_

 _\- You're suggesting that I'm a part of Voldemort's soul, that Dumbledore knew that you are a horcrux all along and you will have to sacrifice yourself to kill Voldemort, or he will always be invincible. -_ Riddle's voice sounded calm, but a burst of emotion went through Harry's mind and he felt Riddle's rage.

 _\- No, Tom, I didn't mean that you're the same as Voldemort... -_ Harry said quickly, nervous and worried.

 _\- I'm not angry at you, Harry. I'm mad at Dumbledore right now. How could he do this to you? How could they do this to you? Like all the adults depending on a school boy to save the world is not bad enough, like knowing Voldemort will not be defeated without you being dead is not bad enough... Dumbledore wouldn't even tell you that you're a Horcrux? You have the right to know this, Harry! You have every right in the world to know! -_

 _-It's all right, Tom. I'm used to not knowing what I have the right to know about. It's not the first time when people are keeping things from me. -_ Harry found that he didn't really care, _\- When all of them claimed that I was mad, I lost faith in almost everyone. Dumbledore is going to use me as a weapon - maybe he has been using me all along. I was just too naive to realize that before.-_

 _\- So what are you going to do about it? Do you have a plan? -_

 _\- Voldemort has so many horcruxes so I guess I will have to collect them all at first and then try to destroy them. I bet Dumbledore has a plan anyway so I'll just need to play along. I want to defeat Voldemort, not for the future of the magic world, saving innocent muggles' lives or meeting people's expectations of me - but for myself, my friends and my family. He killed my parents, ruined my childhood and made me the Boy Who Lived, and that's why I'll fight against him. I'm done being a selfless saviour. Those 'fans' of mine don't deserve my protection, they would send me curses when some journalist says I'm mad and claim that they support me after I'm proved right again. -_

Riddle replied after a long time, Harry could recognize the satisfaction in his voice, _\- If those idiots knew what you're thinking about right now, you would probably be thrown into Azkaban immediately. -_

 _\- Yeah, I know. Even if they knew, I'd love to see them try... -_ Harry smiled at himself in the mirror, _\- Are you ready? -_

-O.o.O-

Draco Malfoy was very troubled right now.

His father had told him that the Dark Lord had given him two important tasks, and one of them made him totally shocked. Oh great Salazar, watching Potter and reporting all his abnormal actions... what sort of mission was that? In comparison, the request about killing Dumbledore made much more sense.

No matter what, he had to follow the Dark Lord's and his father's orders. So he was stalking Potter against his own will - this kind of action was just not Slytherin at all.

He followed Potter secretly. And since they often had classes together, watching Potter was not so difficult as he thought. He found out that Potter had always been in a sleepy state in this school year in class. The raven-haired boy didn't listen carefully at all. Despite Harry's attempt to pretend that he was listening, Draco could still tell that he was not paying any attention to turning a turtle into a teapot, brewing potions, defeating dark creatures or anything school-related. Potter became more of a loner and he was so much quieter - nothing like the noisy Gryffindor brat he had been. This was absolutely strange.

He had also noticed that sometimes The Chosen One would smirk at thin air like he was talking to someone while nobody was around. If Potter's grades had not been getting better, Draco would have thought that he was insane. But how had the Dark Lord known about Potter's weird behaviours ? Maybe this was a trap the Dark Lord had set for Potter, just like last year. He should write to his father about this soon...

As for the other mission... Draco shivered, he had never thought about becoming a murderer. He didn't think he could kill anyone, even when the target was Dumbledore. But he was also aware that the Dark Lord would never forgive his family if he failed again. He had never felt so desperate and terrified before, it was like jumping into dark, deep water without any other choices. He could never know what was waiting for him in the water, and it scared him and made him tremble.

But he would jump anyway. **A Slytherin would use any means to reach his goals, and Draco Malfoy would protect his family at all costs.**

-O.o.O-

Voldemort was deep in his thoughts. Sitting near the dancing fire, he opened up the envelope sent to him by Lucius.

This explained a lot. Draco did a good job spying on Potter, but he still had no clue why Potter was acting this way.

He started to think that maybe he was being too paranoid. Perhaps Potter had simply lost his mind, or perhaps that brat was only thinking about his girlfriend... Why would he care anyway? if anything had happened to Potter then Dumbledore would surely be the first one to notice.

But his instincts were screaming. He knew this little detail was extremely important and had everything to do with himself. He began to feel more anxious now. Standing up from the armchair, he started to pace around in the room.

Looking into Potter's mind via the connection between them would probably work. But last time he was doing this, the pain nearly destroyed him and he would rather not try again.

Groaning in frustration, Voldemort decided to put the investigation of Potter aside for a while. Dealing with Dumbledore was more necessary than thinking about a sixteen-year-old boy after all.

-O.o.O-

Harry knew that Dumbledore must have found out about his abnormality, so he was well prepared even before going to look for one of the Horcruxes with the headmaster.

He was angry at Dumbledore for not telling him the truth. But when the old man asked Harry to help him drink all the green liquid after entering the cave, he was shocked. He knew that Dumbledore would keep things which he had the right to know from him for the greater good. But seeing the man struggling in pain and tears under the influence of the potion, he couldn't help but sympathized him. At that moment, Dumbledore looked old, heart-broken, tired and full of regrets just like a normal man, not one of the greatest wizards in the magic world.

And what about himself? What had he become, and what had the Saviour become?

He had changed greatly after the first conversation with Riddle, for sure. Although Riddle had influence on him, Harry believed that the darker part of his personality had always been there. And now he wasn't The Chosen One anymore. His relationship with Tom had nothing to do with his hatred towards Voldemort since they were totally different. But a strange feeling had begun to grow in his heart.

He wanted to spend more time with Riddle every day, and this desire was biting him like a hungry beast. He enjoyed seeing Riddle and talking with him. It just felt so good and he knew he could never stop. Riddle became real, became more than just a friend or a piece of soul put in his head. Tom Riddle became a part of his life.

He didn't want this relationship to change or vanish, not till the end of time itself.

But nobody could ever know what the future held. And what was meant to come would always come in the end, one way or another.

-O.o.O-

After entering the cave under water, Harry had been feeling anxious - a strong wave of fear was coming from his mind. He couldn't talk to Riddle since Dumbledore was close by, but he became more and more nervous when the shiny green liquid was gone.

A small, golden locket was shining at the bottom of the container.

Harry heard Riddle crying out loud in his mind and couldn't stand it anymore. After helping Dumbledore, he asked Riddle in a worried voice, _\- Tom?! What happened? Are you all right? -_

There was no answer.

He felt his heart speeding up. An ominous feeling started to grow and it climbed on his skin, making him tremble.

Riddle screamed. Harry covered his ears in pain and tried to call Riddle again, but the other didn't seem to hear him.

 _\- Please! Leave me alone! I don't want to know, **I don't want to see it!** -_

And the silence fell again.

Harry could do nothing but carrying Dumbledore back to Hogwarts. And the moment he stepped on the ground near the castle, his heart sank.

The Avada-Kedvra green Dark Mark was shining in the sky above the tower. The snake inside the skull hissed at him, and opened its terrifying mouth.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **Hi every one! I know the story is going a bit too fast, but this is only a six-chapter short story so I don't really want to include many details. Again, sorry about my terrible grammar. Thank you very much for reading my story! Please review** **:)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The Way**

 **Warning:** If you can't read anything about a boy/boy pairing, skip this chapter! I'm not that kind of writer in favour of all the details about this kind of pairing so nothing will really happen. This chapter contains kissing and hugging and a darker badass Harry but that will be all.

* * *

-O.o.O-

Harry was lying in his bed, unable to fall asleep no matter how hard he had tried.

There were so many things going on these days and he had been in shock several times. Surprises came one after another, and most of them were not pleasant at all.

Dumbledore was dead. He had been killed by Severus Snape, the Half-Blood Prince, and had fallen from the Tower. However, Harry could sense that something was wrong about the whole thing. He learnt to look at everything critically after becoming friends with Riddle and he had seen Dumbledore's plea. Dumbledore had definitely not been begging for his life, he had been too calm and relieved at the end like he had been ready for this moment long ago.

Although Harry didn't understand Dumbledore's purposes - he never really did anyway, he was not really shocked that the headmaster had been keeping another secret from him, again. The really confusing part was Snape's actions. If nothing else had happened, he would have spent much more time wondering about that. But he was distracted by another fact.

After their search in the cave, Riddle had never appeared again. Harry had tried numerous times but it had not been useful. Now most of his nights became dreamless and empty, but sometimes he would wake up at midnight, sweating all over with tears rolling down his face and he didn't even know why. The only thing he could remember from those nightmares was his own sadness. He was alone, and Riddle wasn't there to listen to him and comfort him.

He couldn't resist his desire to see Riddle again. He had been spending days and nights looking over the fake Locket found in the cave, hoping to find some clues of Riddle's unexpected disappearance. But the golden Locket looked exactly the same.

Sighing tiredly, he closed his eyes and gave in to the night. Surprisingly, he found himself in Slytherin Common Room again. The fire had been put out and there were few sparks shining weakly in the pile of black ash. Green lights shone softly on the ceiling and created a rather creepy atmosphere. Harry turned around but couldn't really see anything in the dim light. Warily, he walked to where the sofa should be and reached out his hand - the soft cushion was there, but Riddle was not.

A black shadow in the corner drew his attention. The figure was curled up in the darkness, shaking like a hurt animal. Harry froze at the spot and listened. He could hear someone gasping and sobbing quietly there and started to move...

 _\- Tom? -_

There was no answer. The reply didn't come, but the figure moved slightly and Harry felt certain now.

 _\- Tom? Is that you? -_

Harry moved closer to the corner. He recognized his friend right away when he was close enough. Riddle had buried his face in his arms. For the first time, he didn't hide his weakness and fear. His skin was pale like a vampire's, sitting with arms around his knees. He opened his mouth when noticing Harry's presence and gasped, - H-Harry? - His voice was dry, sounded like he had not spoken for a few days.

 _\- Tom, what is wrong? Are you all right? Merlin, you look like a mess. -_ Harry asked as gently as he could, _\- Why didn't you answer me? I have been so worried about you... -_

 _-No, no, Harry, you shouldn't have come... -_ Riddle's body looked more real than ever before, but his voice was so shaky that Harry knew immediately something was terribly wrong, _\- It was me. I blocked our link intentionally. Leave me alone now, you really shouldn't be here! -_

 _\- How can I leave without knowing what's going on and what's wrong with you? -_ Harry couldn't hold it back anymore, _\- Why are you pushing me away? What the hell could possibly be so important and private that you can't even tell me? Do you want to keep everything from me now like everyone else does? Do I look like an imprudent and immature idiot to you - well, maybe now I'm really acting like a rush idiot. But I'm not leaving you until I know what has happened, is that clear? We've always been there for each other and this will never change, never! -_

 _\- I don't want you to see me like this! -_ Riddle suddenly snarled, he still didn't look up and his voice trailed off slowly, _\- I don't want you to know... Please, please leave. -_

Harry watched as the boy who had always been so proud and calm became broken and he felt Riddle's intolerable pain. He realized something all of a sudden and gently put a hand on Riddle's shoulder.

 _\- Tom. -_ Harry said, his voice calm and steady, _\- Look at me. -_

Riddle stopped trembling, _-No, don't... -_

 _-Look at me. I know this hurts a lot, but avoiding the problem won't help and it's better to face it now. You can trust me. You trust me, don't you? We have always been together, all these years... Look at me. -_

Riddle was not struggling anymore. He put down his hands and slowly looked up. And Harry finally knew why Riddle had been avoiding him for so long.

The blood-red eyes stared at him in the darkness. A spark of madness and pain shone in those eyes and then it was gone. Harry saw that man through Riddle's eyes. He could hear the insane laughter, and he could see the shining green light that brought nothing except pain and death...

 _\- I remembered everything, Harry. -_

 ** _\- I remembered them all. -_**

-O.o.O-

 ** _\- I am him. -_**

Riddle gasped heavily and tried to calm down, _\- I am him, and he is me. Everything makes sense after I saw that Locket... I am Voldemort, not fifteen-year-old Tom Riddle as I thought I was. -_

 _\- I was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets, killed a girl accidentally and made the Diary afterwards; I was the one who went to the Old Gaunt House and used Morfin Gaunt to kill Tom Riddle Sr. and his muggle family; I was the one who took Marvolo's ring and made it into a horcrux along with the Cup, the Locket and the Diadem; I was the one who killed your parents and hundreds of innocents... I was the one who gave you that scar and ruined your childhood, Harry. I made you a Horcrux by accident and lived in your mind as a piece of Voldemort's soul. But the magic burst was so powerful that something went wrong, that was why I forgot everything. -_

 _\- I thought I only stayed with you for about five years, but I have already been in your mind for more than fifteen years. I thought I didn't really make any mistakes that would give you a reason to hate me... I thought I had the right to be with you... I thought I had the right to... - Riddle whispered, - I thought I would never see hatred in your eyes again, but I knew once you saw my eyes like this you would hate me forever. Once you knew who I am and what I am, once you understood that I am him, you would be disgusted and leave me alone or try to kill me. I deserve that, I thought I was ready... But I was too afraid to see the disappointment and rage in your eyes. That was why I cut off the connection, hoping you would not come here again, hoping you could forget me instead of hate me... But now I remembered that I still have something important to tell you, Harry. -_

The red eyes met the emerald ones, and Riddle looked away.

 _\- I'm so sorry, Harry. I'm so sorry for everything I have done, but there's nothing I can do to fix my mistakes now. -_

 _- **You have to kill me.** There is no other way. You won't die fighting Voldemort, because I won't let you. -_

-O.o.O-

 _\- You can only kill Voldemort after I am destroyed, so we have to figure out a way to kill me without hurting you. - Riddle made the conclusion, there were both fear and firm resolution in his eyes._

 _\- Tom, wait a minute... - Harry tried to interrupt him._

 _\- No, what we need to do first is to separate us and put me in another Horcrux or something else... And then you can- -_

 _\- Tom. -_

Riddle's eyes widened when he felt Harry's arms around his body.

 _\- Shut up. -_

The kiss was more like a bite. The boy with emerald eyes had thrown his glasses aside and blocked Riddle's words with his own lips. And Riddle kissed back without realizing what was going on. His mind became blank and all those suicidal thoughts were forgotten.

They kissed each other in the darkness. It didn't really mean anything, but at the same time it meant everything. At that moment, both of them forgot about their messed-up lives, their responsibilities, their truth, their lies, and the unknown destiny awaiting them. They didn't care about the war, the schools, the wizards, the muggles or the entire world. All they wanted was each other and everything else didn't matter.

Finally they parted, Leaning on the wall and gasping heavily. Harry was at a loss and so was Riddle. After a long time that seemed like a century, Harry started to talk again, _\- Don't mention the possibility of me killing you again, ever. I will never be able to do that, do you hear me? I will find a way to get you a body, so that you can be truly alive... Oh, let the others have their war! I don't even care as long as my friends are alive and well! I never wanted to be a hero, the others put the responsibility upon my shoulders and I'm so tired of everything! Some are even jealous of me for being a hero. Me! Like I had a choice! Nobody ever seemed to notice that I would give up every stupid title they gave me for my parents to be alive! I will collect all the Horcruxes to find a solution. I'll get you a body and we will run. I want to be with you and I'm done with doing what I'm told. -_

 _\- But... As long as I live, Voldemort won't be defeated. Also, I am a part of Voldemort and I did many terrible things, in case you've forgotten. Do you still want to be with me in spite of all that? -_ Riddle asked, looking startled.

 _\- Yes, I do. You've shown remorse, that's one thing Voldemort will never be able to understand, and that's all I need. You've literally become a part of me, Tom. A part of my soul, my mind, and my life. I'll be a different person without you, just like you will be totally different without me. -_ Harry said calmly.

 _\- Well, if that's the case... -_ After a while, Riddle seemed to make up his mind as well and he wasn't hesitant anymore, _\- What are we waiting for? -_

-O.o.O-

Harry, Ron and Hermione followed Neville into the passage way behind the portrait of Ariana Dumbledore. He didn't really know what he was supposed to be feeling right now. They had found and destroyed the Locket successfully and they had the Cup with them. Now the only Horcruxes left were the Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw and Nagini... Well, the Diadem, Nagini and himself.

Of course, Harry was not silly enough to tell his dating friends about the fact of him being a Horcrux. It was not that he didn't trust Ron and Hermione, but Hermione was so smart that she would definitely wonder where Harry got that information from and it would be a story too long and complicated to explain. Besides, he wasn't even sure if his friends would support him after knowing that he had befriended Tom Marvolo Riddle... Well, probably not.

He was still trying everything to save Riddle. He had been upset, depressed and disappointed, but he never gave up so easily. In fact, he had been using the Locket for experiments in order to find out a way, but it wasn't very effective since Harry could never let the others know about his plan. To avoid unnecessary troubles, Riddle seldom talked to him during the day and instead they could only meet at nights.

He waved and greeted the D.A. members after getting through the door into The Room of Requirement without paying much attention. After pretending not to know about Diadem's location (Riddle had told him everything he remembered so Harry was well aware of where it was) and asking some students, he headed to the Ravenclaw Tower with Luna. Ron and Hermione had disappeared and Harry assumed that they were going to destroy the Cup.

Harry was so surprised when Luna stunned Alecto Carrow successfully with ease that he didn't even notice when Amycus came in - fortunately he was wearing his invisibility cloak. They took care of the Death Eater with Professor McGonagall's help and Harry started to race back immediately. Harry was sure that Luna understood everything by the look she gave him, though he didn't know how. He could see in Luna's eyes that his secrets would be safe with her, so he told Luna to leave and find somewhere safe and left without worrying about it - that was one of the reasons why he liked Luna so much. Luna was always wise and calm no matter what had happened.

He heard Voldemort's announcement, but decided that he would not do anything about it for now. There was still enough time before midnight and now the Diadem was the priority. Quickly, he rushed into the room alone and walked past the shelves full of books and other forgotten objects. The chipped bust of the ugly warlock with a wig on it was still standing at the same place as he remembered. He could see the blue jewel shining and he reached out his hand.

A familiar voice called out behind him as soon as he reached the Diadem.

"Don't move, Potter."

Harry turned around slowly, hands in the air with the Diadem and sneered at the blond boy and the two tall followers standing behind him, a little impatient.

"Ah, Draco Malfoy! Long time no see, were you talking to me?"

-O.o.O-

Before Draco could open his mouth, Harry started quickly again, "Although I'd love to have a nice little chat with you guys since we are 'old friends', this is really not the appropriate time. You see, I'm kinda running out of time. So excuse me, could you please just step aside? Sorry, gotta dash."

"What makes you think that I will listen to your orders, Potter?" Draco said, startled. He held his wand higher, face blushed with anger, "You should be the one to feel afraid now. We are three people, and you don't really have a chance against all of us."

"Don't I?" Harry took out his wand and played with it, looking uninterested, "Oh, maybe. But I don't even care. And the fact is, I'm not scared of you three since you look silly, not scary... But you're already hesitant, Malfoy. You don't know what I'm able to do now, do you?"

Draco winced a little and took a step back.

"I will say it again since you were not listening. Draco Malfoy, I'm gonna do something very important right now and you have no idea what it is. Who knows, maybe I'm eager to meet your Lord before midnight? You need me alive so you can't do anything to me really. But I can do **anything** to you and I will because I'm in a hurry. NOW, GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

Draco didn't move, he looked uncertain but he lowered his wand. Harry nodded in satisfaction. Malfoy was cautious and intelligent enough after all. Since Draco was actually considered his relative, he would not harm the boy as long as he wasn't going too far.

He turned and ran to a corner, ignoring the green bursts of magic coming from Goyle or Crabbe (he didn't bother to check) and set up a shield charm. He held the Diadem in his hand and felt the dark magic inside of it.

"Come out, Voldemort. Your counterpart is waiting for me in the forbidden forests and I don't think he likes to be kept waiting. Answer my questions or I will destroy you."

A man's dark figure rose from the Diadem. It was unclear but Harry could still recognize young Voldemort. The Horcrux smirked at him.

"I don't really know who you are, so why should I answer your questions?"

"Told you, answer my questions or die immediately." Harry snorted and pulled out a Basilisk fang from his bag, "I believe it's straight forward enough."

The Diadem winced and gave in, "What do you want to know?"

"Simple. How can I get a piece of soul out of a Horcrux and give it a real body."

The Diadem raised an eyebrow, "Why do you want to know this anyway?"

"None of your business, now, SPEAK." Harry was growing impatient again, it was almost midnight and he had to get it over with quickly. He cared for Riddle very much, yes. But not this one.

"If the person who created the Horcrux is still alive, then even if the piece of soul gained a real body, it would still be controlled by its creator. The principle is simple, enough life energy and magic power would be enough to create a new body for a Horcrux, but it could only work when it's the only Horcrux left and the creator is dead. "

"The only Horcrux left... So the other Horcruxes have to be eliminated like this... Correct?" Harry nodded and said coldly.

He stabbed the Diadem with the Basilisk fang without thinking twice.

The dark figure of Voldemort screamed and was scattered into small pieces. There was liquid like black blood flowing from the Diadem but Harry just simply threw it onto the floor.

"Sorry." Harry put down the fang, it was useless for now, "I said you would die if you wouldn't answer my questions, but I didn't promise that you would live after answering them."

He checked his watch, it was five to twelve. He could still make it in time if he ran really fast.

"The creator must be dead... Got it."

Looked like it was necessary for him to have a meeting with the Dark Lord after all.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **Dark Harry, yeah. If you don't like this kind of writing style, please just stop reading because the story is ending and getting even darker next chapter. Again, sorry if I made any mistakes because I'm really still an English learner. Thank you for reading and enjoy! Please review** **!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: The Answers**

 **Warning:** character death, really dark Harry.

* * *

-O.o.O-

Harry ran through the corridor in a hurry. He still had something important to do, before Voldemort started the war and killed anyone for his absent. He had an idea, and he must make sure that everything would go according to his plan. He could't afford to fail, he mustn't fail.

The invisibility cloak helped him to arrive at the gate safely, but Neville nearly walked into him. Harry pulled off his cloak and called: "Neville!"

The round-faced boy sprang to his feet in surprise, and Harry cleared his throat, "It's me. I have a plan and I need your help. But now we don't have much time because there are only three minutes left before midnight. You don't need to answer, please just listen to me."

Neville nodded quickly, a little nervous but ready.

"Do you know that Voldemort has a giant snake called Nagini? Kill it. You can find what you need in the Sorting Hat. Please do as I say, okay? This is really important, I just don't have time to explain."

"Harry, you're not going to..."

"No." Harry interrupted firmly, "This is another task Dumbledore had given me, but I have to leave for a while, so it's now onto you." Actually, he wasn't lying entirely. He was sure his death was somehow part of Dumbledore's plan.

He started running again, ignoring Neville's confused face. Everything was going to end soon. He was terrified, but this was the only way and he didn't have time to come up with another solution. Only after Voldemort was dead, Riddle would have a chance to live. And the best way of approaching Voldemort was obviously going to see him as he had asked. He was aware that he wouldn't survive after the plan was carried out, but it would be worth it.

 _\- Harry! Stop and go back for Merlin's sake! What you're going to do will not work! Nobody knows what will happen and you can't risk your life for it! -_ Riddle shouted anxiously at him in his mind.

 _\- This is the only way out, Tom. I know you will never use my life energy to get a body, but I can provide you with one. Once Voldemort killed me, you would be able to take over my body - do not argue, do not say that this will never be successful and listen to me. I know you could manage using my body because the Diary had done the same thing with Ginny before. Once I was dead, my body would be yours and you could kill Voldemort afterwards. Then everything would be fine. You would be Harry Potter who defeated the Dark Lord, sounds like a perfect ending for a fairy tale. -_

 _\- Calm down, Harry! Damn it, there has to be another way, I will never use your body... -_

 _\- We have no time, Tom. Our time is running out. It's nearly twelve and as soon as the war starts, people who are important to me will be in great danger and that'll be my fault. Now everything like that can be avoided. I was going to die anyway according to Dumbledore's plan. -_ Harry tried to tell himself that there was nothing to fear, death was just an ending and it would be quick. But the instinct was taking control over him and his heart was beating faster and faster like drumming, like counting down of his own life.

 _\- Why... Why are you doing this to save me? You should hate me and try to kill me every chance you get, not risk your life for me! If I got a body but you were not there with me, then what's the point? Stop being silly now and forget about your plan! Go back to the castle **NOW**! -_ Riddle never sounded so angry and desperate before. Harry could sense the confusion and fear in his voice.

 _\- Without you I would never be myself again, Tom. And everything in my past would be false memories that didn't really exist. Can you understand that, Tom? I'm so eager to prove that you are real, that everything I've felt is not just a dream. Maybe I'm just trying to prove that I have a reason to live, that my life is meaningful and full. I'm just a chess piece in their mind, Tom. I'm a weapon to be used, a soldier to be sacrificed and a model to be worshiped in other people's eyes, but that's not who I am. Only you see me as myself, see me as Harry Potter and only you can understand my feelings. Because you've always been with me, Tom, from the beginning to the very end. Only you know who I really am, only you love me as who I am. Not a saviour or a hero, just as Harry Potter. -_

Walking in the forest, Harry held out his hand and the silver moonlight shone softly on the golden snitch lying in his palm.

 _\- I will never let you go. -_

All of a sudden, he knew exactly what to do and what was waiting for him in that golden sphere.

He put the snitch near his mouth and then against his lips. The metal felt smooth, hard and cold. He remembered the first time he kissed Riddle. He remembered how soft and warm Riddle's lips had been. And he whispered quietly and solemnly, knowing what was the right thing to say.

 **"I am going to die."**

-O.o.O-

The black stone broke apart in his hand and he could hear their voices, calling out for him. Those people who had passed away so early in his life, those people who had been so dear and important to him. He closed his eyes and felt his heart slowing down again.

They walked towards him, and he didn't feel any sort of fear or discomfort. The only feelings left were calmness and relief, like returning home after a long day's hard work.

He could hear people talking and see lights shining behind those woods, and he knew that was his destination.

 _One minute._

He looked at his parents and his god father. They looked so real, alive and happy that he began to wonder if the 'real world' around him was actually his hallucination. He could see loving smiles and pride on their faces and he was satisfied.

 _Fifty seconds._

"Will you stay with me?"

"Till the very end."

 _Fourty seconds._

Another figure appeared in thin air. The dark-haired boy looked at him silently. His parents were not surprise at all at Riddle's arrival. They were still smiling like they knew everything.

"You have made up your mind." Riddle sighed, this was not a question. "I don't have the power to stop you, Harry."

"Yes, I know."

 _Thirty seconds._

He looked into Riddle's eyes and felt an urge to cry. He reached out his hand to Riddle's body, but this was reality and his fingers touched nothing in the air.

 _Twenty seconds._

He moved closer to Riddle, and kissed Riddle's lips. Although he shouldn't be able to feel anything, but the warmth was there and it felt real enough for him. That feeling was so beautiful that he forgot about his original fear and desperation.

 _Ten seconds._

They parted and he turned around to see his parents and god father looking at him with kindness and love in their eyes, and this gave him all the courage he needed. Everyone or them was part of him, his memory, his soul, his emotion and his life. They made him into who he was. There was no title, only his true self. He knew it was the time, and he was ready.

"Stay with me."

 _Zero._

He pulled his cloak off and held it in his hand, walking through the bushes and facing Voldemort. The Death Eaters gasped and shouted, their faces painted orange by the burning fire. Voldemort looked up from his wand. There was shock in his red eyes and he started to speak.

"I knew you would come, but I didn't know... you would come so quickly and give up so easily."

"There's no point of letting you hurt my friends when I have the ability to prevent it," Harry felt his voice trembling, but he managed to keep his facial expression calm. His parents' and Sirius's figures vanished before him as he dropped the stone on the ground. But Riddle was still standing beside him, holding his hand.

The giants began to roar and Death Eaters in their black robes rose quickly. Their laughter and whispers was boisterous and most of them were extremely excited. Harry could see the white snake curling up in the glowing magic cage. Bellatrix Lestrange looked at Voldemort and then Harry with madness and eagerness in her eyes. Harry didn't reach for his wand - Nagini was too well protected and he didn't really want to be hit by a dozen Avada Kedavras at the same time. Instead, he didn't move.

"You asked to see me, so here I am. The war will be unnecessary because I am the one you really want to kill." He said, his throat was dry. The emerald eyes met the red ones, and Voldemort tilted his head like a curious child before sneering coldly.

"Harry... Potter..." He hissed softly, _"The Boy Who Lived, has come to die..."_

Everyone and everything was waiting. No one moved and no one made a sound. Voldemort slowly raised his wand and the dreams popped up in Harry's mind again. All of a sudden, Riddle stepped forward and hugged him tightly, then pushed his lips against Harry's. Harry was struck by shock and then confusion. No... Something was wrong.

 **Something was terribly wrong.**

Riddle smiled sadly at Harry, looking afraid but happy at the same time. And suddenly Harry realized what Riddle was up to and he wanted to scream and shout no and stop him...

 _\- Goodbye. -_ Riddle whispered. And Harry's mind went blank.

 _\- No, no...-_ Harry screamed, _- **No, Tom, noooooo**! -_

 _ **"Avada Kedavra."**_

A burst of green light hit his body, and everything disappeared into the darkness.

-O.o.O-

Harry was lying on the ground, and he was alone. The world around him was silent and colourless. He couldn't even tell if he still existed or not. The ground beneath him felt real and it seemed that he still had a body. After trying several times, he managed to open his eyes.

Looking around, he found that he was naked and immediately thought of some clothing. To his surprise, a robe really appeared in front of him and he got dressed quickly. Touching his forehead, he realized that the lightning-shaped scar was gone and he was renewed. Everything also looked perfectly clear to him without his glasses. The time seemed to be stopped at this place.

Just then he heard a faint sobbing sound coming from somewhere. He started searching and found a weeping creature under a thing that looked like a bench. It was a baby with raw skin and blood over its body, gasping for air and crying softly. Harry knew what to do right away and thought about a blanket which popped up beside him at once. Covering the creature with the soft blanket, he held it in his arms as gently as he could.

"You can't help it, just give up."

He turned around to see Dumbledore in his deep-blue robe and applauded silently. The timing was perfect, since he had so many things to ask the former headmaster. At the same time, he kept trying to comfort the creature in his arms and it actually worked. It began to look like a healthy baby and stopped crying, staring at Harry with curious and innocent black eyes.

"Oh, can't I really? I thought I was being helpful already." Harry said sarcastically without showing any kind of facial expression. He held the baby tighter and stared at Dumbledore warily. Dumbledore obviously wasn't expecting this reaction and his smile twisted. After a while, he decided to pretend that nothing had happened and opened his arms to Harry, "Harry, you are a good boy. And you've been so brave. Come."

"No thanks, I'm not your child and I'll be happy staying here. I don't even care since I should be technically dead - but I don't really think I'm dead. So please do explain, professor." Harry said without moving.

Dumbledore's expression became serious now as he realized something was not right. He looked at Harry carefully like he had never known him, " My dear boy, Voldemort destroyed the piece of soul he put inside of you, and now you've become yourself again."

"Myself?" Harry snorted, "Myself? No, professor, you're totally wrong. I was only myself when that piece of soul was with me. You don't even know me, professor... And I am not your Golden Boy anymore. I've never been your dear boy in the first place. I was your lovely Saviour, faithful follower and useful pawn. If you think Voldemort's killing curse killed his soul inside of me.. Tell me, why didn't it hurt me in any way? I thought it should be like a fifty-fifty percent chance and why wasn't I the one who was killed?"

Dumbledore's face stiffened, "Harry, I think there must be some misunderstanding between us..."

"Yes, indeed there is. But I'm not in the mood to discuss about it right now so could you please answer my question, Professor?"

There was awkward silence. And Dumbledore started again, "Voldemort used your blood to create his body, Harry. Your mother's protection was in both of you and as long as Voldemort wasn't dead..."

"Stop talking nonsense about my mother's sacrifice! You know very well that what happened just now had nothing to do with protecting magic! There was no 'magic power in the blood' which could be strong enough to protect me from the killing curse, twice. And the whole he-lives-and-I-won't-die thing doesn't make any sense. Even if that protecting power is working on both Voldemort and me, then what? That can't really stop Voldemort from killing me, can it? If I won't die when he lives, does that mean he won't die when I live, too? Are we supposed to live happily ever after then? I don't really think so, " Harry snarled, "You know the real reason behind all this and you are still lying to me in order to make me fight for you! I survived the killing curse this time, not depending on luck or the lame reasons you gave. I survived because someone else died protecting me, just like my mother did!"

"Harry, calm down. Listen to yourself, you don't know what you're talking about..."

"Oh of course I know exactly what I'm talking about. Why didn't the killing curse aimed for me kill me? Why did it kill the piece of soul inside of me instead? Because Tom Riddle took the killing curse for me. He chose to die so that I could live," Harry looked down at the baby's black eyes, " You know nothing, Professor. You've missed a lot."

"Harry-"

"Could you please continue your explanation, when I'm still interested?"

"You are the seventh Horcrux which Voldemort never wanted to create. After murdering your parents, his soul became extremely unstable and a piece of it chose to live in the only living thing left in that room... And that was you."

"And you know this all along?"

Dumbledore smiled, "I guessed, but I was mostly right in guessing."

"You know this all along, and you didn't even bother to tell me? Really? How nice of you." Harry said ironically.

Dumbledore's smile froze on his face.

"You've trained me so many years for me to die and kept it from me until now. And then you're explaining everything when all the harm was already done? Damn you."

"This is your duty, Harry! This is your destiny! You must fight for those people who are depending on you and believing in you! This is the responsibility that you can't escape from!" Dumbledore couldn't play nice anymore and his tone became ice-cold.

"Don't you dare talk to me about the duty! What's wrong with the magic world? Just how weak must you people be to depend on a seventeen-year-old boy to save your asses and defeat one of the most dangerous dark wizards in the world? Have you ever noticed how ridiculous this sounds? Don't you dare talk to me about the destiny! My mother died saving me and she defeated Voldemort, I should have been treated like a hero's child, not just some burden you could throw to the Dursleys anytime you wanted! And don't mention the prophecy. Voldemort believing that a one-year-old baby was the biggest threat to him was understandable, considering the fact that he was already insane at that moment. But how could you also believe in that rubbish? All of you were doing what you wanted to me. Has anyone asked me about what I wanted? No? Too bad, because I never wanted to become a saviour and it was you guys who were forcing me to fight for you and die for you. Why does my mother saving me have anything to do with you anyway? Who gave you the right to put everything on my shoulders? Who gave you the power to decide what kind of life I should have? Everyone wants me to save his or her precious life, but what about my life? WHAT ABOUT MINE?!" Harry shouted until he was too tired to shout. He felt so angry that the rage took over him. He gasped heavily, burning with wrath and watching Dumbledore's stunned face. He actually felt happy to rant everything out.

The baby in his arms looked scared by his sudden burst and Harry quickly realized his mistake. He calmed down immediately and started comforting the baby again until he fell asleep.

Dumbledore looked ten years older after hearing what he said. The anger in his blue eyes disappeared completely and there were only sadness and regrets left.

"I'm so sorry, Harry. You're right. It was not only Voldemort who ruined your childhood... We did, too. I apologize for what I have done. I apologize for what WE have done, and all the pain you felt.

"I accept your apologies although those apologies worth nothing. But it doesn't matter anymore. I've accepted my identity. One more question, why did my wand beat the wand Voldemort borrowed?"

"I'm... not sure." Dumbledore seemed hesitant now.

"Then have a guess! Come on, I take it that you're good at guessing, yeah? I'm ready to die, your plan is working perfectly and I definitely want to defeat Voldemort right now. So could you please just answer my humble question and kindly tell me the entire truth this time?" Harry mocked. He has never been so mean before but he found it not so hard.

"Your wands have the same kind of cores and they reacted. Last time your wand defeated his and got a part of his magic power. And when Voldemort was chasing you, your wand recognized him and threw his magic power back at him and destroyed Lucius's wand," Dumbledore explained.

"Cool, sounds like my wand is the best wand ever and is actually the hero of the magic world," Harry rolled his eyes, "That helps a lot, thank you very much. And what about the Deadly Hallows? Voldemort took the elder wand but it didn't work so well, did it? Oh... I see, Draco Malfoy disarmed you before and you weren't its owner anymore. Which means I'm the current owner of it. Great. And unfortunately... or should I say fortunately? Voldemort knows nothing about this. From his perspective, it must have looked like Severus Snape killed you and became the new owner. Oh, Snape is in danger now, then. Speaking of him, is he on your side or on Voldemort's side? I'm really confused because it seemed that your death was planned."

Dumbledore looked at him with disbelief in his eyes and finally sighed, "I didn't even notice that you've become so perceptive, Harry... I knew you are smart, but didn't think that you are this brilliant. Severus made me promise that I would never tell anyone about this... But now, since I'm already dead, but he is still alive, I think you have the right to know about this. Also, he has the right to be free, too..."

Harry listened quietly and he was stunned by the fact that Severus Snape actually had had a crash on his mother when they were both young and Lily had had feelings for him, too. That explained the look in Snape's eyes when he was watching Harry. Hatred, love, bitterness, sadness and regrets were mixed up together in those black eyes... Harry understood at last. Since that man had saved his life for so many times, he decided to be grateful and make sure Voldemort was too bothered to think about murdering Snape.

"The last question, Professor Dumbledore, about the Deathly Hallows..."

"Ah, yes..." Dumbledore looked like a little boy who had just been caught after making troubles, "Will you forgive me, Harry? Will you forgive my actions? You were asking me about why I did that to you... And here is the reason, I didn't want you to walk on the same path I took. I was afraid that you would become someone like me and made mistakes like I did. Oh, Deadly Hallows! A desperate man's dream! Harry, do you think I'm a better person than Voldemort?"

"Well, at least you didn't kill so many people. So yeah, I think so," Seeing Dumbledore's tears, Harry was shocked. He began to sympathize the old man again.

"I was silly enough to look for ways to avoid death, Harry. Deadly Hallows, and not Horcruxes. And Gellert Grindelwald was looking for them, too. We got together and we learnt that one of the Hallows, the Invisibility Cloak was passed on to the decedents of the third brother in the tale. "

"Oh, that was my ancestor then," This wasn't news to Harry so he remained still. He looked down at the baby who was sleeping soundly and smiled.

"It was my fault... I borrowed that cloak from your father for my own purposes because I couldn't resist the temptation of owning two hallows at the same time and your father died. I had never looked down at myself like that before," Dumbledore's voice was full of agony and regrets, "You know my secrets, Harry. I was so proud and vain, I wanted to become famous and escape..."

"It wasn't your fault," Harry interrupted him, looking at him closely and realizing something, "By the way, you loved him, didn't you?"

"What?" Dumbledore's blue eyes widened, he froze.

"Oh, you loved Gellert Grindelwald and he loved you back. You were together for actually quite a while, and you still have feelings for him - I can see it from your eyes - and you should feel happy. He does too. His last action before his death was trying to protect your grave from Voldemort... And don't give me all that regrets-and-guilt nonsense, that's called love. No one does not fear death, you are not an exception, Professor. And no one can resist the power of love." Harry was still angry at Dumbledore, but not so much. He saw a tired old man who lost what he had loved the most. He didn't like the man who could do anything for the greater good, but he could understand this old man better.

"So, you're going to forgive me, Harry?" Dumbledore smiled faintly, looking lonely and lost.

"Oh, stop asking for my forgiveness and start looking for him, for Merlin's sake. Professor, you can surely find him again, and I think he has been waiting for you." Harry grinned at Dumbledore, patting the baby in his arms, "Before leaving, I still have someone else to see."

Dumbledore smiled, happily and gratefully this time. He looked at the baby and seemed to understand something, and nodded. He winked at Harry, "At last, Harry, can I ask you a question? What changed you so much? I mean, when did this start? To be honest, I never thought that Tom would be able to love someone... And yet he was willing to die for you... When did it all begin?"

The old man's figure was disappearing, and Harry answered, smiling sadly, "Everything started with a dream, Professor Dumbledore."

Dumbledore nodded in satisfaction and relief, then vanished in front of him. Harry knew he was going to meet Gellert Grindelwald again, and he wished them happiness.

He patted the baby, humming some quiet songs. Now, he only had to wait for that person, and he knew it wouldn't take too long.

 **Author's note:**

 **The story is ending next chapter and so far the most different character from the original books is Harry. This version of Harry is thinking deeper about Dumbledore and everything. I found some things confusing in the original books so that was why they were mentioned in this chapter, but I'm not saying that I didn't like the original books. The books are great. I hope you like this version of Harry and enjoyed reading. Please review.** **:)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: The Grave**

 **Warning:** Right, if you felt uncomfortable after reading the previous chapter, then stop reading right here. And if you like a story to end like "They live happily ever after" and can't stand a bad ending, please go back to find some other fan fictions to read. For people who like Severus Snape, rejoice. For he is my favourite too, he will not die in this fan fiction. I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING J. K. ROWLING WROTE.

* * *

-O.o.O-

Sitting on the bench, Harry waited in silence. He knew that boy would come.

A group of footsteps were coming towards him, and he looked up. Putting the baby on the bench softly, he rose to his feet and smiled.

Tom Riddle was standing in front of him, wearing his Slytherin school uniform as usual and smiling. His eyes were dark again like his hair and he walked towards Harry, but stopped hesitantly. His smile vanished.

"Ah, this is the feeling of death..." He said easily, looking at his hands, "This feels better than what I thought, not so terrifying, just peaceful and quiet."

Harry couldn't help but pulled Riddle into a hug. He felt hot tears running down his cheeks but he didn't try to stop them. He gasped heavily and whispered, "Tom, why?"

"Without me, you still have everything else. You still have your friends who love you and people you want to protect, Harry. You still have the chance to love someone and be loved. You deserve to be understood and cared for. But I had nothing but you, Harry. And I couldn't stand losing you."

"I never thought... I was even prepared to die and I never realized what you were going to do until the last minute..." Harry looked into the dark eyes, "This is not fair! I just needed some more time and I would have come up with something else... We could have lived together, we could..."

"Listen to me, Harry, I think this will be our farewell and... Please live happily, you deserve a happy and colourful life, free of the duties people gave you and Voldemort. Go back to your world, Harry. Don't pity the dead, sympathize the living. You can defeat Voldemort and do anything else you want to do. You will be brilliant in the future as you are now, Harry. More importantly, you can be yourself now. You can do so much more, and there is a wonderful life waiting for you, " There was a light shining in Riddle's eyes, "And I would be happy for you, too."

Riddle's body started to become transparent, and he began to vanish now.

"Tom!"

"I'm running out of time, Harry. My power is fading and it won't last very long," Riddle smiled sadly, "And you know that creature on the bench is what I will be. I am just a fragment of Voldemort's soul so I can't stay in your world as a ghost, nor can I move on to where brave people went. I will be trapped here forever, and that will be the punishment I deserve."

"No-"

"Harry, your future is waiting for you. I can see it, it's amazing and wonderful. Forget about me, and move on. Promise me!"

Harry reached out his hand, but his fingers went through Riddle's body and felt nothing.

"I will stay with you forever, Harry. As long as you believe in me, I will always be there for you. I will keep my promise." Riddle said quietly.

Harry felt the pain burning in his body, like part of his soul was taken away from him, leaving a long, deep and bleeding scar.

"I love you," He said finally. He understood his feelings now, but it was too late. It was too late for both of them and they couldn't do anything about it now.

"I know," Riddle beamed, "Thank you."

"I will find you."

"And I will wait."

The world was breaking apart around them, but Harry knew all the things that had happened here was real. They became part of his soul, part of his memory, part of his life. Tom Riddle, the Horcrux, the dreams, their friendship, their promises, their sacrifices, and their love.. He remembered them all, and he would never let himself forget.

 **"Goodbye, Harry."**

And everything started again.

-O.o.O-

He felt himself lying on his stomach, facing the ground. But this time, there were stones and cold hard soil under his body and he realized that he was back in the forbidden forests again. He was aching all over, his glasses cast aside, his left arm twisted in a weird position and his mouth opened. The scent of leaves and grass filled his nose and he didn't move.

He could hear people talking anxiously and their busy footsteps, and slowly learnt that Voldemort had passed out just like he did. This was another riddle to him but right now he wasn't interested to find out the answer.

He didn't know who was sent to check his condition until he heard Narcissa Malfoy's trembling voice. Looked like he was in luck again. Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy didn't care about who would win anymore, their only concern was their son. And Harry knew that they would do anything to keep Draco safe and alive.

He remained still when the crowd celebrated his death, and kept unmoving when Hagrid started carrying him to the castle. War hadn't even started yet. Nobody had been hurt so far, nobody had been killed...

But Riddle had died saving him.

He tried to concentrate but found nothing in his mind. He felt the emptiness in his soul and he was at a loss.

People's reactions were worse than he had imagined. He heard Ron and Hermione's desperate cries and Professor McGonagall's scream. He told himself that at least they were all alive and well, and he himself was actually unharmed. So everything was perfectly fine. He hoped that Snape was not nearby because that man would definitely be Voldemort's next target after handling him. Harry didn't hear what Voldemort was saying, but he noticed that someone ran out of the crowd and was hit by a spell before realizing that Voldemort had put the burning Sorting Hat on Neville's head...

Suddenly he heard shouting and sensed people moving. He quickly pulled the Invisibility Cloak and cast it over his body, springing to his feet. He would not leave any of his friends in danger.

Everything happened so fast, Neville pulled out the silver sword of Gryffindor and cut off Nagini's head in less than five seconds. Voldemort snarled in his rage and the body of his pet dropped near his feet... Everything was in confusion now since people started to shout and run everywhere. Keeping quiet and covered, Harry followed Voldemort and moved towards the great hall. The war was just started and Harry would end it as soon as he could.

When Bellatrix Lestrange fell to the ground, dead, Voldemort screamed furiously. His magic power threw his opponents in the air and he pointed his wand at Molly Weasley..

"Protego!" Shouted Harry. He pulled off his cloak.

People cheered and the Death Eaters raised their wands. After a few seconds, they were silent again. Voldemort and Harry stared at each other and began to circle around like wolves looking for the other's weakness.

"No one will interfere." Harry cleared his throat and said loudly, "This remains between us and I don't need anyone's help. It was Voldemort who chose to believe that prophecy and it was he who started this war, and I will not give up fighting."

Voldemort snorted and sneered at Harry, "Potter didn't mean it... did you, Harry? Who else are you going to use as a shield this time?"

"Nobody," Harry answered shortly, "There are no Horcruxes left now, only you and me. One of us will fall, and I will make sure that one is you."

"Do you really think you'll be able to defeat me, The-Boy-Who-Lived? Every time your survival was just pure coincidence..."

"Coincidence? I came to you tonight, ready to die and still survived your killing curse, was that a coincidence? No, Voldemort, it was not. I was going to sacrifice myself like my mother did, but someone protected me and was killed instead. That was no coincidence. Don't you want to know who that person was?"

Voldemort narrowed his red eyes.

"You were alone tonight, Potter, stop taking nonsense..."

"Was I? You have no idea what you did to me on that Halloween sixteen years ago, do you? When you had murdered my parents you tried to kill me, your soul became unstable. And one piece of it got into my body, making me one of your Horcruxes. Yeah, I know, big surprise. I was your Horcurx all along and you didn't even notice."

"You're lying," Voldemort froze at that spot, looked uncertain.

"Oh? Then can you explain why I could survive that killing curse if no one was there to save me?" Harry snorted, "You know what, even your own soul couldn't stand what you have done and he chose to die for me. He hated you, too. Doesn't that sound pathetic? I loved him, Voldemort. I fell in love with that piece of soul you put inside of my head by accident and he reciprocated my feeling. Wasn't that strange since you two were technically the same person? Are you shocked right now? Don't be, the shocking part is yet to come."

Voldemort looked shocked indeed, perhaps also a little disgusted. However, he didn't intend to attack before knowing what secret Harry was talking about. Harry knew him so well that he could tell what Voldemort was thinking. The crowd around them seemed equally confused, but nobody made a sound.

"The elder wand is still not willing to serve you, isn't it? I assume that you've already figured out the reason and are planning to kill Severus Snape right after dealing with me since he was the one who killed professor Dumbledore. You thought that it made Snape the owner of the elder wand. But don't bother, because you are wrong. Snape didn't defeat Dumbledore."

People gasped, and Voldemort snapped, "What sort of dream is that, Potter? Dumbledore is dead! His body is lying in the coffin!"

"Oh for Merlin's sake, when did I say that Dumbledore is still alive? I was talking about Snape, Voldemort. Professor Dumbledore had been very sick even before he died and he planned his own death with Snape." Harry raised his voice intentionally so everybody could hear what he was saying, and many people breathed out in surprise, "Snape didn't murder Dumbledore. Dumbledore had asked Snape to kill him."

"Severus Snape wasn't working for you, Voldemort. He started standing on Dumbledore's side after you began to go after my mother. And he has been a double-agent all along, acting like a mean teacher in Hogwarts - well, maybe he wasn't acting at all. But anyway, he was giving Dumbledore information about your plans and you didn't even suspect him. Love was more powerful than you thought, Voldemort. Snape's action was supposed to make him the owner of the elder wand, which was part of Professor Dumbledore's plan. However, an accident had happened even before that... As a result, even if you managed to kill Snape, you would not be able to get the wand. Now, try to show some remorse, Voldemort..."

None of Harry's other words could make Voldemort pale and startled like this simple question did.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"This is your last chance, and I won't give you another one. Try... Try very hard to show remorse like a man, or I'll have no choice but stopping you. " Harry said coldly, "You have caused the deaths of three people who were the most important to me, and Sirius's death was indirectly your doing too. So try to show remorse. I know that if you had a different childhood, perhaps everything would be totally different and you could have a better ending in the story. I saw your past, and I know the reason why you became this monster. But you've gone too far, and I'm not a selfless saviour after all."

"Don't you dare-"

"Oh, but of course I do. For myself, for the people I love, for Tom Riddle, my parents and Sirius, I will defeat you. And your wand is still not under your command."

"But if what you said was the truth, Potter, Dumbledore gave the elder wand to me! He was the last owner of the elder wand and I got the wand from his grave against his will. Now the elder wand, the symbol of death, belongs to me!" Voldemort laughed insanely.

"You still don't understand, do you? What have I said? There was a small accident and it was enough to ruin your entire plan. The Elder Wand was working for its new master even before Dumbledore's death, and the owner himself was unaware of it. He disarmed Dumbledore and got the most dangerous wand in the world without even considering or realizing it."

Voldemort breathed heavily, raising his wand, pointing it at Harry and ready to utter the deadly curse.

"The true owner of the elder wand is Draco Malfoy."

Voldemort's face paled for a second, and then he became calm again. He steadied his voice and said, "But why does it matter, Potter? After killing you, I can easily handle Draco Malfoy and punish that traitor Severus Snape. But it doesn't matter now for you and me. Now you no longer have that wand with phoenix's feather and we can have a fair fight. "

"But you are always a step behind, Voldemort, what a shame," Harry shook his head, "Two weeks ago, someone disarmed Draco Malfoy and earned the possession of the elder wand."

Harry pulled out Draco's original wand and felt all the people's gazes upon it.

"Finally, I will tell you one more thing, Voldemort..." Harry cleared his throat, "The piece of soul you put in my body changed my way of thinking greatly, and made me realize something. Merlin knows how surprised I was when I found out that you are actually capable of love, under different circumstances... I've said all I wanted to say, and anyway, I think I'm the owner of the elder wand right now."

The bright sunlight was burning on their faces and painting them red. They raised their wands like receiving the signal at the same time and shouted loudly...

 _"Avada Kedavra!"_

 _"Expelliarmus!"_

The red light crashed into the green one, and the elder wand was dancing in the air, flying towards its true owner. Voldemort died and fell on the ground just like a mortal man.

The cheers were flooding like sea water and people were laughing. The crowd moved towards him as everyone wanted to hug his or her saviour. But Harry just put on his Invisibility Cloak and disappeared.

He reappeared on the bridge, gazing down into the deep valley. The victory was his but everything felt so empty, and so meaningless. He could remeber hearing Riddle's voice. He could even see the dark-haired boy looking at him, smiling.

"Forget about me, and move on," the voice said.

 _If moving on was so easy, then people would not need to move on at all._

Harry knew he would never have those beautiful and fascinating dreams again; he would never see that boy's dark eyes reflecting his own image; he would never be able to kiss Riddle's lips; he would never hear that voice in his mind, talking to him as a friend who had always been there with him. He had Riddle in his soul, and now Riddle was gone. And his soul was bleeding. But he had to carry on.

He was not a Horcrux anymore, but he was not himself, either.

 **Without Tom Riddle, he would never be Harry James Potter again.**

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **There will be an epilogue coming, but that will be all. Hope that you are liking it. Again, please review and let me know how do you like this chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Epilogue**

* * *

-O.o.O-

After the final battle at Hogwarts, Harry was more busy than ever before. He cleared Severus Snape's name using Dumbledore's and his own testimonies. Now the former Double-Agent was completely free. He didn't have to work for anyone and he didn't choose to continue teaching at Hogwarts. Harry guessed that he had had enough of teaching for now. The Potions Master focused entirely on Potions instead and published some incredibly famous Potions books. And no doubt that they became Hogwarts's textbooks afterwards. When Slughorn declared his official retirement and he asked Snape to take his place, again, The former professor finally said yes. Nothing seemed to change for him, except that now he was more loved by the students and had his fans following him every time he was going back to his office, which bothered him a lot at first. Harry would go back to Hogwarts sometimes for visits and realized that the Potions Professor hadn't changed very much. His sarcastic comments and strict teaching style were still enough to make first year students cry like babies, and Harry found himself actually missing his school years and the classes when he had been mocked by Snape all the time. One day Harry saw the Potions Master smiling at some students' perfect homework along with two little gifts and a bunch of flowers for him in his office, and he knew that professor Snape had finally found his happiness.

There were no casualties during the final battle of Hogwarts because really it had been just a duel between Harry and Voldemort. Bellatrix also had died, that was for sure. Most Death Eaters were sent to Azkaban and sentenced differently for their different crimes. The Malfoys, however, had not gone to trial except for Lucius and he wasn't found guilty since he had served his sentence in Azkaban anyway. Harry claimed that the Malfoys had not been part of the final battle because all Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy had done during that time was looking for their son. And Narcissa Malfoy actually had saved Harry's life by lying to Voldemort. Draco Malfoy became quieter, calmer and smarter. He had grown up during the war and his relationship with Harry was much better than before. They actually often talked like old friends.

Ron and Hermione had got married quickly after the Battle of Hogwarts before they had one boy and one girl. Harry became a happy and busy godfather of their children and the exciting couple welcomed Harry at their house at any time. Ginny and Dean Thomas got together which didn't seem like a surprise after they had fought side-by-side and had told each other about their feelings in the Battle. However, Harry was left single just like his god father Sirius had been. Ron and Hermione got their dream jobs and Harry became a successful Auror, too. They were super famous for a while that the envelopes from fans were piling up at their doors but Harry didn't seem to care about fame and money. He spent most of his galleons on Ron and Hermione's or Dean and Ginny's children and their educations and entertainments, while a large amout of money was donated by him to the charities. He actually built an orphanage for young wizards who had lost their parents because he didn't want to see another Harry Potter or Voldemort in the magic world again, ever - the two of them had caused enough trouble already. The money left was just enough for himself.

Merlin knows how hard he had tried to 'move on' and maybe find a girlfriend. It was not difficult at all since witches from all over the world was eager to be with the Saviour and become the lucky one. But Harry hadn't been able to feel anything more than pure friendship among them and finally decided it would be better for him to remain a bachelor. Well, not only witches... Many wizards offered their numbers and stuff, too... But Harry just wasn't interested in general.

He was famous and great with enough money, close friends and too many fans, yet he felt lonely in that cheering crowd. He had a fabulous life ahead of him with a wonderful job, various entertainments and endless fun, yet he still felt tired and empty like everything was not meaningful anymore.

He missed Tom Riddle. He missed that voice in his mind, he missed his friend and may-be lover and he even missed being a Horcrux. But Riddle was gone just like his parents and his soul felt so empty again. Every night his dreams became dead and blank. The one person who had always been with him since he was one year old had died to protect him. Sometimes when it was a raining day, Harry would sit by his fireplace and tried to remember Riddle's traces in his life. Now he realized that he had been a parselmouth only because of Riddle, and he knew why he could survive so many dangers with what seemed like good luck. Riddle had been with him all the time. He had been watching over and helping Harry all along like a guardian angel... A guardian angel! Harry chuckled sadly, he could imagine Riddle making a grimace after hearing that silly title. And Riddle had probably been the most similar and the closest person to him in the world.

The dead were resting in peace, and the living must move on and get going in their lives again.

But Harry remembered everything. He remembered the dreams, Riddle's smile, his voice, their hugs and their kisses. And again, _if moving on was that easy, no one would ever need to try and move on in the first place._

-O.o.O-

Harry closed his eyes, wondering in the darkness. What had Tom been feeling in his mind? He had been so used to tell Riddle about his feelings. he hadn't even realized the fact that Riddle had never said much about himself. Taking a deep breath, he tried to feel like Riddle and think in Riddle's way...

 _He woke up, confused and terrified. He couldn't remember anything except for his own name and he was trapped in the darkness, alone. He started shouting as loud as he could, but there was no answer. He was in a panic and had no idea what to do. Desperate and helpless, he waited and waited but nothing happened. Just before giving up, he saw the light._

 _Gradually, he realized that he wasn't trapped in a prison, he was trapped in a mind. A young boy's mind. After days and nights, he began to remember his life and he found out that the boy was a wizard just like him. The longer he stayed , the more information he got. The similarities between that boy and himself were astonishing. He watched the boy getting sorted into Gryffindor, he watched him going on adventures with his friends and being lectured by his teachers; he heard the boy laughing when flying in the sky, he heard him sobbing in pain and shouting loudly with great courage; He felt the boy's happiness, he felt his loss and melancholy. He saw everything through the boy's eyes, and he understood everything because they were so similar. But the boy was also different from him. He watched the boy growing and becoming more and more brilliant every day. His boy was braver, kinder and more sensitive than him, and he was proud of it._

 ** _Harry._** _He whispered the boy's name again and again when the night came and he felt lonely again, **Harry, Harry**. That boy was everything he had, and that boy was everything he needed. When others tried to hurt the boy, he fought back with his own magic power and kept the boy safe every time. No one could ever harm his Harry, he wouldn't allow it and he would try everything to protect the only one in his life. _

_And one day, Harry heard him. The joy was flooding in his mind and he was so happy that he couldn't help but kept talking to Harry. It felt so good, and he enjoyed being heard by the boy whom he had always wanted to talk to. They became friends, and more than friends. He began to feel something special when he was with Harry and the first time they kissed, he understood._

 _That was why he chose to face the Death. He had always feared death, but his Harry was more important than everything. Finally he knew what Lily Potter had felt when she had been standing between her son and the killing curse without thinking twice. **Nothing had the power more incredible than love** , and he understood at last. He was happy that the boy whom he had been watching over would have the chance to live his life to its fullest._

Harry gasped and sat up. He was right. One could never know what another person was thinking about, unless he looked at everything with that person's eyes.

His wiped his face and finally relaxed in sound sleep. When he woke up the next morning, his pillow was wet.

-O.o.O-

The silver moonlight shone softly on the graveyard, colouring the graves ivory-white. He stood before the black marble tomb stone, staring into nothingness, tired and sad. His black hair was longer and his eyes emerald like jewels. The darkness of night filled his heart with melancholy and loneliness and he sighed like an old man.

The moonlight was dancing on the stage, and all the audience below were silent like stones. Harry James Potter knelt down before the tomb stone and put a fresh white rose under the golden name carved the plain silver name plate.

 **Tom Marvolo Riddle.**

He smiled sadly, his fingers tracing the letters gently and his eyes beginning to be watery, but he didn't cry. Riddle would be sad seeing him cry.

If anyone else knew what he was doing right now they would probably condemn him with curses and think he was insane, but again, why should he care? It would not even be the first time.

"Hello, old friend."

Yeah, talking into thin air, maybe he was not so sane after all.

-O.o.O-

Harry opened his eyes to see the same place where he had been to before. The bench was still there, like nothing had happened. He stared down to his hands and found them smooth and without wrinkles again. He walked to the bench and held the baby in his arm - the little boy looked perfectly healthy now, waving his little fists and smiling at Harry.

His life had been indeed wonderful and amazing. But he was never married. He had died of age, satisfied and happy without fear, for he knew he would meet that person again.

The scarlet train arrived and he heard the familiar sound of horn and the white vapour covered his eyes. He held the baby gently and looked around. Suddenly, the baby disappeared in his arms and he started to panic, rising to his feet and looking around nervously. He was technically dead but his heart seemed to start pounding when he saw Riddle standing at the door to one of the compartments.

Riddle was standing there, looking at him, beaming. He still looked like a fifteen-year-old boy and behind him, his parents and Sirius were waving at Harry. And Harry ran. He ran as fast as he could like wind and he felt the warm liquid running down on his face. For the first time after Riddle's death, he felt like himself again.

He ran past the red compartments and traffic signs, ran past the colourless nothingness and the posters on the brick wall, and left everything but his soul behind. Riddle opened his arms, and Harry hugged him, tight.

"Hey Tom, nice to see you again."

 **He was home.**

 **-O.o. FIN .o.O-**

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Yeah! This is all, and a prequel or a sequel is clearly not needed. Hope you enjoyed reading my first story and thank you for reading. I lied, maybe it's a happy ending for everyone after all. Well, it depends on you but I think the ending is happy enough. I know my writing is horrible but this is my first try in writing a fan fiction in English so I'll hopefully get better at it. Who knows, maybe I will see you again in another Harry Potter fan fiction! Au revoir and bye! Please review** **:)**

 **Thanks to _AvaTheDarkLord, Nayeri, Death Wand and chloezhou7070, Ben and HeartlessVampireGirl_ for reviewing! Your reviews are greatly appreciated and I'm happy that people are reading and loving this story. **

**By the way, I am write another Harry Potter Fan Fiction NOW about Hogwarts Four and if you are interested, please go to the story called The Tragedy. The genres are Tragedy and Drama and if you want to read it, you can search it or simply find it on my profile page.**


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